The V-22 Osprey: like no other aircraft

Cutting edge. That’s how Capt. Michael Whiteford describes the MV-22B Osprey, the plane he pilots in the Marine Corps and the newest aircraft to be added to Marine Corps Aviation.

AMANDA WILCOX - Daily News Staff

Cutting edge.

That’s how Capt. Michael Whiteford describes the MV-22B Osprey, the plane he pilots in the Marine Corps and the newest aircraft to be added to Marine Corps Aviation.

“It’s something that has never existed before in the history of aviation,” Whiteford said.

Whiteford, the son of a pilot, says he always knew he wanted to fly, but didn’t decide to fly the Osprey until he was in flight school as a Marine.

“I’ve known about the Osprey for a while; even when I was a kid I was reading about it ... so when I got into flight school and saw we could choose it, I was pretty excited,” he said. “I feel very privileged to do what I do. I really enjoy it a lot.”

Whiteford, like roughly 400 other Marine Corps Osprey pilots, has the opportunity to fly an aircraft that is the first of its kind — a tiltrotor with the ability to take off and land vertically like a helicopter but fly with the speed, range, altitude and payload capabilities of an airplane. The unique aircraft has revolutionized the way the Marine Corps fights, said Lt. Col. Brett Hart, executive officer for Marine Aircraft Group-26 and a qualified MV-22B Osprey pilot.

Each Osprey can travel at more than twice the speed and carry three times the payload at three to five times the range of the aircraft it replaces, the CH-46E, Hart said, adding that the Osprey is also self-deployable, meaning it doesn’t require other aircraft or ships to carry it to a crisis area, and it is more survivable than older aircraft because of its design and maneuverability.

The Osprey can transport 24 Marines or 20,000 pounds of cargo internally, plus an additional 15,000 pounds of cargo lifted by hooks and carried beneath the aircraft. The MV-22B is primarily used to transport Marines or cargo to areas in support of operations, but it can also be used for tactical recovery of personnel, medical evacuations, long range logistics support and emergency evacuation.

“It means more options for commanders,” Hart said. “It can take off from a ship, vertically, without a catapult, fly at higher air speeds and altitudes and long distances, directly to a point requiring a vertical landing — that is, without a runway. That is spectacular.”

The V-22 is designed to meet the amphibious and vertical assault needs of the Marine Corps, the strike rescue needs of the Navy and the special operations needs of the United States Special Operations Command, according to the Marine Corps’ V-22 guidebook.

Since its original fleet introduction in 2007, the hybrid plane-helicopter has since flown more than 100,000 total flight hours and deployed overseas in support of both operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

During their initial 18-month deployment to Iraq in 2007, three marine medium tiltrotor squadrons logged nearly 10,000 flight hours, moved more than 45,000 passengers and more than 2.2 million pounds of cargo. The Osprey flew into every threat zone and performed every available assault support mission to include raids, assaults, VIP transport, medical evacuations, tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel and rapid ground refueling, according to the guidebook.

Maj. Gen. John Kelly attributed combat success to the bird.

“I could dominate (Al Anbar Province), because I had V-22s … I couldn’t do what I did with just helicopters,” he said in the guidebook.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos also praised the Osprey in the book.

“The incredible effectiveness and survivability of this versatile aircraft have been demonstrated again and again, from land-based operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to sea-based operations in Haiti and Libya,” he said. “The Osprey is providing our commanders unprecedented agility and operational reach. As we continue to transition our aviation platforms in the years ahead, the V-22’s revolutionary capability will remain a cornerstone of the Marine Air Ground Task Force.”

The Osprey has been called one of the safest rotorcraft ever fielded by the Department of the Defense. In the past decade, the MV-22B has had the lowest class “A” mishap rate of any currently fielded tactical rotorcraft, with a rate of 77.3 prior to fleet introduction in 2007. By comparison, the CH-53E rate was 159 and the F-14A rate was 78.7, normalized to a rate per 100,000 hours, according to the guidebook.

“If my son were a Marine, I would want him supported by the MV-22B Osprey,” Hart said. “I am that confident in the capability, reliability and safety of this remarkable aircraft.”

Contact Daily News Military Reporter Amanda Wilcox at 910-219-8453 or amanda.wilcox@jdnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AWilcox21.